Which, As They Kiss, Consume
by DevilCuriosity
Summary: The darkness drapes over me, so heavily. A memory of you keeps this pain at bay. I steal minutes, hours, days. The taste of your lips linger, your touch burns a line of cold fire on my skin. I have a piece of your soul, Para-Medic, and you have mine. Yours to the last, Snake.
1. Visitor

**This story takes place during Operation Snake Eater, at the Krasnogorje Mountaintop. Snake takes shelter inside the ruins as he buys his time before moving forward. However, he will soon have a visitor meet him in this room but this time, she isn't Eva.

* * *

**

_These violent delights have violent ends_

_And in their triumph die, like fire and powder,_

_Which, as they kiss, consume._

Romeo and Juliet, Act II, Scene VI

* * *

"What is it with guys and their unnerving sense of dominance over women?"

"Maybe some guys are more complex than others."

"No, I don't think so. I think some guys are just out to get people. What about you, Snake? You seem like an easygoing guy. I hope you haven't tried to _control_ any women in your life."

"Can't say that I have. There aren't any women in my life to begin with."

"Really? No girlfriends? Or… lovers?"

"Nope. Just me and my good ol' weapon collection." He smirked as he pulled the cloth out of his shotgun and peeped through the now shiny tubular body.

"Oh."

As he continued to clean out the rest of his weapons, there was a loud thump at the door. Without hesitation or delay, Snake pulled the MK22 right out of his leg strap and pointed it directly at the entrance, guesstimating the angle at which the head of the enemy would be appearing at any second. He kneeled on one knee all while keeping the radio on, just in case she had anything else to say. _One_, he took a breath. _Two_, the enemy continued to thump at the door, attempting to knock it down. _Three_, the thumping had stopped. He raised his head and looked at the doorknob, noticing the 30-degree turn. _Now_, the door opened and before the shadowy figure could take a glance around the room, he fired a tranquilizer dart right into the enemy's forehead. It was a perfect shot. "Bullseye," he whispered under his breath as the figure collapsed with a peculiar gasp. "What the hell?" He said aloud a moment later, flipping the gun back into his leg strap as he walked over to the person on the ground. He turned over what appeared to be the figure of a female so that she now lay on her back.

"A woman?" After removing some of the dark hair that covered most of her complexion, he peered over her face and looked down at her garments to see where she was coming from. "Hm," he mused, first noticing her facial features and then taking note of her familiar uniform. As she lay there with a tranquilizer dart jabbed into her forehead, she was, in every respect, a strikingly beautiful woman. The skin on her face looked like porcelain, soft and pale, and there wasn't a speck of dirt on that face. He lifted her right hand and examined it, looking at the faint and unscarred lines of her palm, lines that were free from marks or scratches. It was clear that whoever this woman was, she wasn't doing any type of physically demanding work. Nor could she have been a spy. He was almost certain that under her garments, she had no scars. After a moment he stood up and moved all of the weapons on the bed to the wooden desk nearby. He then carried the woman over and laid her gently on the bed, making sure not to meddle with the dart in her forehead. He'd take that out a little later. First, he needed to contact the Major. As he tuned his radio, he found a seat on the creaky wooden chair that paired with the desk. He looked at the figure on his bed as the signal was sent and Major Zero picked up from the other side of the world.

"Snake, is everything alright?"

"Major, I've got a… I've got a woman in my bed."

"A what? Did you say a woman?"

"Yeah. She managed to open the door to this place and I shot her with a tranquilizer dart before she got the chance to look around and see me."

"Bloody hell, Snake," said the Major in a big sigh. "I can assure you that the woman is not a spy, nor any one of your enemies. That's Para-Medic."

"What?" Snake spat back, confused. "What the hell is Para-Medic doing here? And you couldn't give me a heads up sooner?"

"Oh, stop being a baby. I was helping Sigint with his coordination controls and had forgotten to give you a ring about her arrival. She was supposed to pay you a visit and check up on your vitals to make sure everything was in order."

"My vitals?" Asked Snake. "What's wrong with my vitals?"

"Do you remember those tranquilizer darts The End had shot into you during your last battle?"

"Yeah, his special rounds. I thought I had fixed all of that when I took them out."

"Well, the old man is craftier than we'd all like to think. Those darts were dipped in a stringent poison that spreads over time. I'm afraid you've got the lot of that poison filtering through your bloodstream at the moment."

"But I haven't felt any different. What was the intended effect of this poison?"

"We've just recently discovered that the molecules work at an incredibly slow rate. It takes a good couple of weeks for you to actually feel the effects. Para-Medic said that once these poison molecules infiltrate your bloodstream, you could be paralyzed." The Major paused for a moment, then continued. "As soon as we discovered this information, we immediately dispatched her out to your location. We can't risk you being paralyzed, Snake. We need you on this mission."

"So Para-Medic had to come here to personally treat the poison that's filtering through my body right now?"

"Correct. But now, your treatment is delayed because you've tranquilized her. You'll just have to wait until she wakes up."

Snake growled under his breath as his eyes remained fixed on the figure that was claimed to be Para-Medic. "Yeah. Sorry about that," he mumbled.

"It's alright," the Major said rather lightheartedly. "Let's be grateful that it was a tranquilizer dart and not a shotgun bullet." At that, the Major clicked off his radio and left Snake to it.

While Snake had known Major Zero from his previous missions with the CIA, he knew none of his other teammates personally. He had never seen their faces but had only heard their voices through his radio. However intense or meaningful those radio conversations might've been, people like Sigint and Para-Medic were shadows in his head and meeting someone from his team while on a mission was rare. His eyes grazed the entirety of the woman that lay before him as he leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. "Para-Medic, huh," Snake said to himself after a moment, unable to steer his sight and thoughts anywhere else.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

I'm scrapping the assumption that everyone who communicates via radio has seen the actual face of the person they're talking to. So the radio is just a radio, without the ability to transmit the images of the communicator through fancy satellite technology. I think this makes for a more interesting connection between the characters.

I also wanted to write a fic about Naked Snake and Para-Medic because I liked the nerdy chemistry between them. And I wish there were more Snake/Para fics out there that were realistic enough to see the possibility of this pairing.

Enjoy the read. And reviews are most welcomed.


	2. Treatment

Once the sedative substance infiltrates the bloodstream of an enemy, the tranquilizer dart will remain in effect for a good 10-15 minutes. In Snake's eyes, those 10-15 minutes make all the difference between life and death, and whether or not he can get his hands on new weapons and additional ammo. After having another conversation with the Major to clear up Para-Medic's appearance, including her medical staff jumpsuit, Snake could do nothing but wait. He left the rest of the unpolished weapons on the desk and starred at the figure on his bed for as long as it took. There was still a part of him that didn't trust this person because there was no guarantee that she was who the Major claimed for her to be. Being the perceptive spy that he was, he figured it was best if he literally wait for the tranquilizer effect to wear off and interrogate her the moment she woke up.

Just as he began to tear his sight away from her to look around the room, the tranquilizer dart slid to the ground as she sat up dizzily. Still, it would take a good five minutes before her peripheral senses returned to normal and she could comprehend anything. She raised her right hand to her head and nodded slowly, as if nodding would shake out the drowsiness.

"You're going to have to stay still if you want the sedative to wear off completely," he said from across the room. Her hand fell from her face as she looked over at him slowly, first in confusion and then annoyance as she closed her eyes and stood still, trying to meditate herself back into full consciousness.

"Damnit, Snake," she moaned dramatically, taking a moment before mustering up her next comment. "Could you give me a minute before shooting a dart into my head next time? That… hurt." She placed both hands over her forehead to massage her temple just a bit. Waiting it out had surely wore off the effects and in a matter of minutes, the blurriness had cleared to the sight of what looked like an abandoned bedroom. Before she could turn herself around to face him, he began his questioning.

"Tell me something," he began. "What operation are you a part of and what unit are you working under?" He studied every inch of her expression and movement as he waited patiently for an answer. One could never be too sure in situations like these.

"I'm a part of Operation Snake Eater and I work under the CIA, below the command of the ever lovable Major Zero," she replied in all enthusiasm. "Snake, I'm also the one who paid you a visit at the hospital after your encounter with the The Boss during your Virtuous Mission. And I'm the one who told you to eat that Spatsa mushroom, unintentionally making you sleep on the job." She turned herself around and sat directly across from Snake, mimicking his posture and peering into his camouflaged eyes with a smile.

_That's a beautiful smile_, he thought somewhere in the depths of his consciousness as he continued to study the rest of her face, his suspicion gradually turning into fascination. "So it is you, Para-Medic," he said at last, rising and holding out a hand to help her stand. "It's good to finally meet an admirer," he concluded with a smirk as she placed her hand in his and stood up to face him.

"Right, thanks," she mumbled under her breath as she began to walk over to the door to fetch the lot of her supplies. Before letting go, he held her hand for just a moment longer, making her to turn around to look at him. Before she could do anything, he raised a hand to her face and smoothed two fingers over the spot on her forehead where the tranquilizer dart had been planted moments earlier. "Hm," he mused as he continued to examine the small puncture.

"Any scars I need to be weary of?" She asked under his observation, her other hand still holding onto his.

"The dart didn't seem to do any damage. You just need to let the puncture heal and you should be fine," he replied in all honesty.

"Good to know," she said. As he lowered his hand and drew his focus away from the puncture, his eyes moved to the rest of her face and finally locked onto her stare. Their hands were still clasped together as they stood there, inches apart from each other. A smile widened across Snake's face as he looked at her. She smiled back, not quite sure what in the world they were both doing. "It's good to finally meet you, Snake," she said moments later, breaking the silence and loosening the grasp on his hand as she walked over to fetch her supply kit. He stood there and waited as she gathered all her things.

"Take a seat," she said in the manner of a doctor as she turned around and made her way back to him, directing that he make himself comfortable on the bed before them. She placed her leather handbag on the bed and pulled out some disinfectant, needles, serum and bandages. "From what I'm guessing, it's been about two days since your battle with The End, right?" She asked as she wiped a needle clean with a cloth of disinfectant and then dipped it into the serum.

"Two days exactly," Snake replied, his eyes fixated on all that she was doing.

"Okay, so that means that not much poison has spread," she concluded. "What I'm basically going to do is inject this serum into different parts of your bloodstream. So I'll give you a shot on one of your arms, one on your calf and one on your abdomen. This way, the serum will gradually circulate through your bloodstream and should take effect immediately."

"Sounds like a plan," he replied. "How much of my uniform do you want me to take off?" He looked up at her as she continued to measure each of the three needles with the correct dosage of serum. After measuring the last one and placing it neatly on the tray, she looked at him.

"I think you might have to remove everything except your boxers. Or briefs. Or whatever it is that you wear on the most basic level," she replied, her cheeks turning a rosy red as she let her imagination get the best of her. She then remembered what soldiers like him wore underneath; she had studied the effects of tactical undergarments extensively as an intern. As Snake began unclasping his belt and removing all of the outer equipment he usually wore, she continued to get all of her other medical equipment out of the bag.

"Would you like some privacy?" She asked a moment later as he unfastened his jacket and threw it onto the ground before him.

"I'll be okay," he said in a struggle as he stood up and unzipped his pants and disposed of those as well. "Alright, Para-Medic, I'm ready," he concluded. She got the last of her supplies out and moved the tray closer to where he sat as she looked down at him. She would've thought that his incredibly chiseled body would leave her speechless but instead, her medical senses got the best of her this time around.

"My God, Snake," she said as she looked at his pectorals and the muscles on his abdomen with a frown. She ran a hand across his chest, tracing a couple of fingers all the way down to his abdomen. She felt him quiver just a little as her trail stopped. "I didn't know you had so many scars," she concluded, still wearing the same worried frown, her hand unable to leave his torso as her eyes remained fixed on the many marks that seemed to adorn his upper body.

"Yeah, I've gotten most of them over my lifetime," he said unabashedly.

Para-Medic continued to explore the rest of his scars just a moment longer before turning back to face him and begin the treatment. As she briefed him on the process, she had already begun to wipe the spot on his right arm with alcohol. She hovered beside him and gently grasped his bicep, making sure she could see the spot clearly. In the needle went as the serum began its spread through his bloodstream, gradually eliminating each and every one of the poison molecules. She then pulled herself back and sat herself on the ground, making sure she had yet another clear shot at his lower leg. As the process continued, they could hear the helicopters flying by overhead.

"Hey, remember what you were asking me earlier? About whether or not I was involved with anyone?"

"Yeah, I remember. You still owe me an answer," she replied as she bandaged the spot on his lower leg and then looked up at him, waiting for that answer.

"Well, my profession doesn't leave me any room for love," he said reflectively. "A soldier can't afford to love, it'd be too much of a distraction." Silence took over the small room.

"I suppose," she said. "But love comes in different forms, Snake. To love someone doesn't mean being with them every second, or showering them with gifts. Loving someone is a selfless act, and you could love someone halfway across the world if you ever wanted to."

"Well, I can't afford to be selfless."

"Yeah, I know," she said evenly as she looked up at him from where she was kneeling. She reached over her tray to get the last needle. "Snake, the last spot is on your lower torso so I'm going to have to get in between here…" She looked over at his legs, hoping that he wouldn't have her elaborate any further on it. He got the cue and spread his legs just wide enough for her to station herself in front of his lower torso and inject the serum.

"You know, you could've just had me lie down," he said after a moment, leaning back to give her easier access. She shot a glance at him and continued her work.

"That's just it with this treatment," she said. "I need you to be sitting so that the flow of the serum isn't filtering through your bloodstream at a pace I can't keep up with. If I had you lie down, the flow would be too slow and if I had you stand up, the flow would be too fast. Do you see what I'm saying?" He nodded as she continued. The helicopter overhead was making another one of its rounds across the mountaintop. "It must be hard for you to breathe in those," she commented a moment later, referring to his skintight boxers that were designed to protect the entirety of his manhood under all circumstances.

"Only in the heat," he smiled. "They do come in handy, though. I… don't know what I'd do without them," he concluded, suddenly thinking of all the times Eva attempted to seduce him but failed because of those very boxers.

"I'm sure they have," smiled Para-Medic, bandaging the last puncture. She stood up and took a step back, examining the rest of him. "That should do the trick," she concluded as she noted the bandaged areas where the serum was injected moments before.

"Thanks. And Para-Medic," he said, "no one ever told me how beautiful you were." He smiled at her, hoping he'd break a laugh into her or something. As intended, she grinned as she loaded all of the leftover supplies back into her bag.

"So you're gonna tell me I'm beautiful and then what?" She asked jokingly. "Snake, have you ever seen _Singin' in the Rain_?"

"Nope. What is it about?" He asked, already accustomed to her occasional bouts of film trivia. However much he poked fun at her fascination with films, everything she said was interesting to him, and he wondered whether or not he would ever get the chance to see all of the movies she's talked about.

"It's a musical that details the interesting career success of Don Lockwood. But what you said just now somehow reminded me of this one scene between Don and Kathy. He takes her into a studio and creates this perfectly romantic setting so that he could tell her how much he's come to like her."

"A romantic musical, huh? I didn't know you were into those kinds of films."

"Well, I don't think I could pass on an opportunity to see Gene Kelly dance so this was anexception. And however many war films I've seen, I'm still a sucker for the romances. Plus, did you know that _Singin' in the Rain_ was the first film that was made in color?" She grinned at him as she relished the scene she had just described in her head.

"Para-Medic."

"Hm?" She mused, still starry-eyed, standing in the middle of the small room. She finally looked at him and smiled.

"You think you could stay a little longer here? I haven't had a real conversation with anyone in a long time," he said, looking down at the ground in thought, hoping she would take the offer and keep him company just a while longer.

"You bet," she said happily, grinning as she went over to the bed and sat beside him. She threw an arm over his shoulder and nudged him, hoping to pick up his spirits. He looked over at her and smiled faintly.

"So tell me about the rest of that scene," he asked. And for the rest of the night, Para-Medic continued to tell Snake about all of the magnificent films she's seen and all of the secrets behind the ever-fascinating world of Hollywood, a world that was so far removed from the one he knew.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

Why _Singin' in the Rain_? Because my sister was telling me about this film a while ago and then I watched it and couldn't get that scene between Don and Kathy out of my head. I covet that song _and_ I covet Gene Kelly. Had to give him some love.


	3. Attachment

The situation in Russia was bad at the moment. Colonel Volgin's forces were battling at the helm with President Kruschev's army. As a result, the mission of everyone involved was delayed. There were blockades set up throughout the area and they had been sectioned off because of the fighting. As such, the Major couldn't swing by to pick Para-Medic up, and Snake couldn't move any further because the path was blocked off for the both of them.

"If you love movies so much, why did you choose this line of work?" He asked one afternoon as he lay beside her on the bed. She rested her head on one of her arms while fidgeting with outlying strands of hair in the other. It had been their third day together at the Krasnogorje Mountaintop and while both of them knew of the problems the significant delays had already caused, the view from the terrace of those ruins was undeniably stunning.

"Movies are what they are," she said, starring into the ceiling absentmindedly. Now they were both lying beside each other with their hands behind their heads. Fortunately, they were able to fit quite comfortably on the only bed in the room. After a moment, he blinked and turned on his side to face her. "What do you mean?" He asked.

"Movies are a form of art, a fantastical representation of some of our deepest fascinations. They're nothing like reality, Snake." She was silent for a few moments before continuing. "Besides, I wanted to do something good for society. Contribute to it."

"And that's why you're aiding as my on-site medic," he concluded.

"Well, it's more than that. I figured that if I could help my country during this war, I'd be doing something good for it." She turned on her side and now faced him. "And I'd be helping guys like you out." She gave him a playful smile and winked for added measure.

He looked at her hard for a moment and then broke into a faint smile. It bought the greatest amusement in his head to know that she got him every time. Regardless of whatever else that was going on or had been going on, she always mesmerized him into a cloudy bliss of fascination. Nothing had happened during the last few days. They lived together as if they could've been roommates. He didn't doubt that she knew a lot could've happened between her first and last days here together. His not-so-subtle reputation as the legendary Snake was no secret but he also wasn't exactly what one would call a womanizer. Sure, he had all the needs of a lonely solider in battle but he was also an honorable man. He wouldn't sleep with a woman if he knew it didn't mean anything to him. Now, however, looking at her so close to him, something was different. It wasn't because she was so beautiful. It was because she was different from all of the women he had known in the past. She was young, brilliant in her own right and honest with herself. She was a smart girl in the sense that she ultimately didn't fall prey to a man's coaxes, that she was as calm as she could be in every situation. This made her special.

"What?" She asked after a moment, still smiling as he gazed at her. Before she knew it, he leaned in and gently kissed her, slow and deliberate. His lips were softer than she could ever imagine, and tasted sweetly of tobacco. The scent of his body became intensified as she drew closer to him, exuberating the faintest smell of smoky Cuban cigars. As he pulled away a few seconds later, he traced his thumb across her lips, noting its softness as he looked at her. His eyes were no longer hard with restraint or secrecy but clouded in the subtlest traces of tender affection. It was almost surreal but she had to keep her gaze affixed to his in order to see these traces flicker through him.

To Para-Medic, this entire moment had been the strangest thing she had ever encountered. Never in a million years would she have taken him to be so gentlemanly and caressing in his manner of seducing a woman. She figured that this was the underlying reason as to why all of the other women fell off their high horses for him. What she didn't know, however, was that she was the only one he had ever been this gentle with. Every other woman he had made love to either lied about their identity or was there because they needed the physical connection. They had all been a part of the system he knew so well and they had the experience to prove it. Unlike these women, Para-Medic stood outside this system. Despite her aiding as a medic, she had no real conception of the sickening web of deceit that existed in his world. She was innocent and optimistic and passionate about what she wanted. This was refreshing to him and he wanted more of it. He wanted to know everything about her and what she stood for. Never before had he felt so inclined to treat her as tenderly as he knew how, and to follow her every word. He was simply mesmerized by her and knew that there was no undoing this growing fondness.

"What is it, Snake?" She asked again as they drew apart and he stared at her. She looked at him with raised eyebrows, inquiring and curious.

"… I don't know," he said. He looked a little confused and lost for words. Before he could muster up a proper response, he could feel her leaning in closer, narrowing the gap between them as she stood inches away now.

"It's okay," she said in a whisper, her breath warm on his lips. She leaned in and kissed him as softly as he kissed her moments before. He snaked an arm around her waist and pulled her in just a bit closer. She complimented this move by wrapping an arm around his back as their kiss deepened.

The heat resonating between their bodies continued to escalate and before they knew it, they eventually stripped each other's clothes off. Throughout all of this their lips still remained locked in hungry kisses as their hands continued to explore new territory. After a moment she managed to tear herself away from him and as they drew apart, each took a deep breath. She then looked at him, locking her gaze into his. The room was quiet and despite his heart pounding beneath his chest, he was calm. She raised herself up to sit on top of him, and he could feel her spread her legs apart as she positioned herself and gently took hold of his engorged manhood. As he entered her, she cocked her head back and moaned in dreary pleasure, straddling him into a fit she could manage. She then crafted a rhythm as she rode him, circling her hips slow and steady until she increased her speed. He bought his hands to her waist for support and thus allowed her to maintain this rhythm. She moved faster and faster until she nearly screamed in lustful agony as she reached her climax. He raised himself up to catch her just before she could disconnect and fall over him. He immediately wrapped his arms around her and held her tight. She squeezed him back just as tightly, breathing heavily onto his skin as she buried her head in the crook of his neck, thankful for the notion of support.

"Oh god," she moaned in a coarse whisper after a while. He smiled. There was a soothing warmness that seemed to calm the both of them as their connection still remained. As they closed their eyes and concentrated on the silky wave of heat that resonated inside, the world around them blurred away. Neither felt that they had the willpower to disconnect and let go of each other any time soon. There could be a war right outside their doorstep and even that wouldn't be reason enough for either of them to pull away so easily. To Para-Medic, it was crucial that she hold him in her arms for as long as time would grant her the chance. Snake had felt this very same need to keep her so close to him. He didn't even want to think of mustering up the emotional energy to let go just yet. It was talk that was easier said than done. With this thought, he laughed. She drew herself far enough to meet him face to face.

"What are you laughing at?" She asked innocently, much of her hair still drenched in sweat.

"Myself," he said coolly as he looked at her and ran a finger along the frame of her face. "I don't think I can let go right now." He looked at her rather awkwardly, not sure if she understood his true meaning. She smiled sleepily.

"You don't have to." She pulled away and lifted herself just far enough for him to make his way back out of her. She then fluffed the nearest pillow to lie down beside him. He felt her arm drape across his torso as she brought him in closer, snuggling into every angle he had. Silence draped over the room as she fell sound asleep. He leaned in and rested his head atop hers and then closed his eyes, falling into a lulling slumber as their third day together had ended and the night wore on.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

Yeah. I was riled up at one point and just decided to get hot and heavy with these two. I tried a few other scenarios but this seemed the most fitting.


	4. Reason

She opened her eyes to the brightly lit room, the thin curtains barely blocking out what sunlight draped across the small space. Stretching her arms across her head, she sighed wistfully as she starred into the cracks on the ceiling. Before she had the chance to think to herself, the sound of his voice called to her nearby and sent a jolt of energy pulsing through her.

"Good morning," he said huskily. She turned herself around saw him making his way back toward the bed, half dressed. He sat on the edge of the bed and smiled down at her.

"Morning," she yawned. "How did you sleep?"

"Best sleep I've had in a long while," he mused. After a moment, he bent down and kissed her gently, catching her off-guard and taken by surprise.

"What was that for?" She asked innocently, blinking in shock. He smiled. He was softer somehow, she thought. She had never seen the legendary Snake put down his guard this carelessly. He seemed almost… carefree. As fascinating as it was, the feeling was contagious. After taking a moment to absorb his notion, she was smiling and feeling the same high.

"I don't know," he said with another smile. In all the time she had spent with him, this was the first time she saw him beaming. Almost.

"I take it that last night was a good thing," she said quietly, more to herself than to him. She focused on the corner of the bed sheet that she was fondling with in her hand. When she looked up, she could see the corners of his lips pull down in a frown. He looked at her with an almost pained expression, his eyes covered in a cloud of faint sadness.

"It was nothing like that," he said.

"Oh," she replied, comprehension flooding through her. "I'm sorry, Snake, I didn't mean—"

"That's alright," he cut in. "It's nothing." With an elbow placed on one knee, his attention was averted to the ground as he thought to himself.

She bit her lip, not sure if she should press him for an explanation or leave him to think alone. It would only be natural for Para-Medic to take the interrogative route and press for answers, despite the curiosity coming at a price. The more she thought about it, the more eager she was to know what he meant. A moment was all she needed to compose herself before she reached out to place her hand on his shoulder. She gently massaged his collarbone reassuringly, hoping this would ease him into explaining.

"Snake," she began, "I want to know what you meant earlier, about last night."

He sighed. Maybe this was as good a time as any to give her what she wanted.

"People talk," he began quietly, his body stiffening as he sat straighter and stared across the room. "If it isn't one woman, it's several." He laughed darkly. "I remember my early days as a rookie, when all of the older guys would give me a piece of their advice. 'Experience is everything,' one of them said. 'You've gotta rein them in like tigers, especially the ones you're bound to meet.' They howled in laughter, throwing their heads back like a couple of animals. From that time on, I never took any bit of their advice seriously." He looked over at her now, his eyes hard. "You don't find love on the battlefield," he said flatly. "There's nothing in a war zone that comes close to that word, and there will never be anything like that out there." Silence swept through the room for a moment before he continued. "In all the time that I've been doing this, I've realized that that type of human connection is beyond explanation, that it's sacred. When two people join, they're doing it for different reasons. Whether it's convenience or necessity, it's a bond that they'll most likely never forget. That was the way I saw it." He looked into her eyes now, his gaze searing her thoughts like a wildfire through an open field. "I don't sleep with women so that I can tally their names on a chart. Nor do I do it so that I can fulfill my soldier needs, although it can get pretty tempting at times." His smile was faint.

"Then why _do_ you do it?" She suddenly asked, voicing her thoughts aloud without even noticing. She starred at him, completely absorbed into his explanation.

"Because at some point during the time I've spent with that person, I had the chance to see who they really were. Every person has something worth seeing, and I would always find a way to take a part of her with me the rest of the way. It… made my job a little easier to keep a part of someone with me."

"Because everyone has a story behind who they are," Para-Medic mused, in tune with his thoughts. He nodded.

"In some ways, I've become dependent on other people's lives. The instances that I've shared with them, those are the ones I remember most."

"Why do you need that so much? The memories, I mean," she asked curiously. He looked at her and then turned away.

"Because no matter how far and wide you search, you'll never find a semblance of humanity in war. The longer you stay in it, the easier it is to lose yourself. I'd be lying if I claimed it was easy to stay the way I am, to still feel the way I do." He turned back to her, removing the stray hair out of her face and then running a finger along the side of her cheek. She blushed at a moment's notice and he smiled. The painful look in his eyes dissolved into the softness she had seen first thing this morning.

Without pretense or deliberation, she sat up and threw her arms around him, squeezing him as tight as she could. She caught him by surprise but after a moment, she felt his arms wrap securely around her waist, complementing her embrace just so. She shivered a moment later, realizing that she was exposed. Snake noticed and tightened his embrace, making sure he covered as much of her as he could. As he planted a kiss in her hair, she would never forget how the warmth of his skin had sent a jolt of lightening through her body, causing her blood to circulate in all the wrong directions. At the same time, however, she could feel an odd sense of relief and peace, as if being in his arms was the comfort she had needed all her life.

She began to hum a lullaby she had often sung to herself whenever she felt genuinely good about something. Her voice was a whisper away but the melody managed to intertwine with the beating of his heart. He closed his eyes, etching this rhythm into recesses of his memory, making sure that he would remember it for as long as he lived. After a moment, she pulled away just far enough to look up at him.

"You're… something else," she muttered incoherently, her eyes glistening with the tears that were welling up. "And you're lucky I came to rescue you." She choked and then sniffled with a giggle as she lay her head onto his chest.

"You could say that," he agreed, a smile widening across his face as he nodded disapprovingly to himself. "But why are you crying?"

"Didn't I tell you?" She took the last sniffle, starring into the wall. "I'm an over-sensitive wreck. I could cry over anything." She sighed. "It's pathetic, actually." After a moment, she could hear a deep chuckle in his chest as he lowered his head and planted another kiss in her hair. She closed her eyes. It seemed like eternities had passed before her curiosity got the best of her and forced her to break the tranquil silence.

"Can I ask you something?" She looked at him now, her fingers still locked behind his waist. His gaze signaled for her to go ahead. "Do you think we'll ever meet again? After we've changed the world and everything?" She smiled wistfully, the thought as clear as daylight in her head.

"I don't know," he said ruefully, the honesty in his tone all too evident. "I wouldn't hold my breath."

"I think it could happen," she said to herself, a little wary but still hopeful.

He looked at her once more, studying all of her features and committing them to memory. How her eyebrows matched the shine of her dark brown hair. The way her mouth naturally pouted to form the shape of a heart after she finished a sentence. How her eyes would glisten like butterscotch when she grinned at him. The way her blush worked itself into her cheeks, making her look like a perfectly crafted porcelain doll. She was utterly beautiful in this moment of silence, when she thought about whether or not she would see him again.

As he stared at her a moment longer, he sighed. He cupped her chin in his fingers and turned her head gently so that she was now facing him again. "Maybe you're right," he said evenly, looking into her eyes. Before she had the chance to respond, he cupped her face with both hands and leaned in, planting a soft kiss on her rosy lips. She closed her eyes as she let herself fall into the intoxication of his presence once again.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

It's good to have Snake talk about his past. I think this is something he would easily do if he were with Para. Also, I see Naked Snake as the most dynamic when you compare him to his future successors. He seems to have the most humanity out of all of them, and I would think that he's a pretty intelligent guy when it comes to the inner workings of human emotions.


	5. Departure

It would have been foolish to think that their time together was going to last. While they were fortunate enough to have been in each other's company for an entire week without disturbance, there was still a war happening in the outside world. So close, in fact, that it was right at their doorstep. There were numerous instances where a few of the more cautious soldiers thought of double checking the storage units, just to make sure they hadn't missed anything. These times were close calls, and if Snake had not taken precautions beforehand, he would have lost Para-Medic all the sooner. This also meant that those adult magazines he had found some while back were finally serving their purpose.

At this point in time, Colonel Volgin's forces were getting more desperate now that the stakes were higher. The tension was riding in from all corners and as a result, his soldiers were either particularly sharp or overwhelmingly dazed. This was a good thing, considering that the more dim-witted soldiers were patrolling the mountaintop and had no intentions of being as careful as they should be...

Snake didn't need a scope to see that the nearest guard was pacing lazily in his line of defense. He mumbled to himself quite often, complaining about the inequality in the force and how slim his chances were of getting promoted any time soon. After a moment, he was silent again. He stopped pacing, just far enough toward the center for Snake to have a clear view of him. "Hmph!" He groaned, kicking up a patch of dirt and creating a cloud of sand around him. _Moron_, Snake thought to himself. He straightened his arms out toward his target, relaxed his shoulders and then fired one soundless tranquilizer dart into the side of the guard's head. The guard immediately collapsed with a quiet gasp, far enough so that Snake could catch his fall without much difficulty. Snake was positioned at the end of the trench and couldn't let the guard break his neck by falling backwards into it. Despite his need to loot, it was easier to have the guard alive and kicking by the time he woke up. His mission was then easier to accomplish this way. He figured that if there were no bodies, the suspicion was kept to a minimum.

After dragging the sleeping guard back toward the dead end of the trench, Snake began rummaging through his items. "Hm," Snake mused to himself, moving his fingers skillfully across the guard's uniform. _Ammo_, he thought as he found a few rounds for his Single Action Army shotgun. _What's this?_ His hand managed to pull out a piece of parchment - an old photograph that was tucked neatly into the chest pocket of the uniform. He held the picture out in his hands and looked closely at the two figures standing together, their hands entwined around each other's waists, a sizable set of Zelkova trees positioned as a backdrop behind them. They were beaming in their grins as they stood there. Snake smiled to himself as he tucked the photo back to its original place. Before he had the chance to finish searching, he heard the door that led to his refuge creak open.

"Snake, what are you _doing_?" Para-Medic asked, her eyes wide and curious. She gasped when she saw the body underneath him but covered her mouth just before she could make any more noise worth noticing.

"Para-Medic, you have to get back inside. You shouldn't be out here." He didn't bother turning around because he didn't want to waste any time in wrapping up his search. Despite the luxury of time the tranquilizer dart seemed to offer, there were always precautions to take. As he zipped up the last of the guard's uniform and closed everything in its place, he heard the door creak to a close. He got up and walked around the body, positioning himself to pull the guard back to his original place. As soon as that was done, he jetted back to the door and headed inside.

He walked into the bedroom carefully, making his way toward the rusty cabinet where all of his weapons were stored. She sat on the bed with her knees pulled up toward her chest, and wrapped her arms around herself. She was starring at him in a curiously suspicious way, wondering if he was ever going to let up and tell her what had just happened. Once he organized his belongings made sure that everything was attended to, he turned around.

"What-" She blurted out, unable to constrain the air in her lungs that she had failed to let loose. Before she had the chance to find her words again, he walked over to her, cupping her chin into his hand and forcing her to look up at him.

"I didn't kill the soldier," he said evenly, his eyes lingering on hers for just a moment. Then he smiled.

"Tranquilizer dart," she smiled back, recognizing the familiar smirk he was donning now. It wasn't too long ago when she found herself dizzy with consciousness after being darted herself. "Poor guy," she said after a moment, truly sorry that he had to wake up in a haze of confusion. As funny as the picture might've been, the feeling was much worse. Those darts were painful.

"He's harboring the same emotions as the rest of the soldiers," Snake said, remembering the guard's ramblings about inequality in the force. He released Para-Medic's chin and then sat down beside her on the bed. She looked over at him as he continued. "I think most of Volgin's forces are starting to get restless. It won't be long before he knows this." He sighed and then laughed at himself.

"Am I missing an inside joke or something?" She asked.

"No, it's not that." His face was a smooth, unreadable mask as the smile wore off. She looked at him, bewildered. Since it was becoming too much of a habit to succumb to her curiosities, he gave in altogether. "It's too easy for me to tell you things," he finally said, nodding shamefully to himself. There was no point in denying this fact any longer. And judging from her expression, she didn't think much of it.

"You know, despite my awful tendency to rant over a wide variety of random subjects, I still like a good story," she said. "And besides, everything you say mesmerizes me." A huge grin spread across her face, and he laughed.

"It's good to know that I've kept you entertained all this time. Now you can see what kind of a pushover I am around women."

"No," she said quietly, disagreeing with his words. "It's because you're more real than the legend that precedes you, Snake. And you're still fighting for your country, even though you've been tricked into all of this." The grin on her face was slowing disappearing.

"I don't aim to become an inspiration to others and I don't want people getting the wrong idea," he said defensively. "I'm not a hero." He could see her eyebrows pulling together as she frowned thoughtfully at his remark.

"Okay," she said after a moment.

"Okay?" He asked, a little confused.

"If that's what you feel, then that's how I'm gonna to take it." She stared at him now, her gaze fixated on all of his features, making her rounds until she met his eyes again. "Call me crazy, but it just seems like the world has taken everything from you and you never manage to stop and think of what _you_ want for _yourself_. That's not fair, is it?" She looked like a 10-year-old now, pondering the meaning of fairness in all of its glorious forms. Taking his blank stare as a signal to move on, she continued. "If the rest of the people in this country knew how much you did to keep them safe in their little bubbles, they would gladly do just about anything for you. And if you don't want to be a hero, then the least I can do is respect that wish."

"That's an interesting argument," he pondered.

"Yeah, it was more complicated than I remembered in my head." She sighed and then laughed some. Just then, the radio in her leather sack was beeping. They exchanged glances before she wheeled off of the bed and planted herself on the ground to receive the signal. As she pulled the radio out of her bag, she twisted the dial to clear the static and receive the transmission on a better channel. A familiar voice rang loud on the other end.

"Para-Medic? Is that you?"

"Yeah, Sigint, I'm here. What's going on?" She subconsciously looked over at Snake as she spoke into the radio.

"Right on!" Sigint exclaimed in triumph. "Good to hear from you. The situation wasn't looking too good a few days ago, which is why we couldn't get a clear signal over to you guys. Luckily, Volgin's forces are getting frustrated with his crap, so they could care less about us at the moment."

"Which means?"

"We'll be sending a chopper around the mountaintop to get you within the hour. Hang tight." The announcement made her wince before she even had the chance to notice the discomfort.

"What about Snake?" She asked childishly, forgetting that he still had his mission to complete and reacting to her emotions all too quickly.

"Snake has a job to do," the voice of Major Zero cut in clear. Despite the static, his tone was indifferent. Silence took over a moment longer. "Get your things packed and ready. We'll be there for you within the hour." _Click._ The static silenced to a barely audible ticking as the signal faded.

Reacting on impulse and disbelief, she began tidying up all of her things as she prepared to leave. There wasn't much she had brought with her, except the leather satchel that was filled to capacity with medical equipment and supplies. She hadn't even touched this bag so there was nothing to clean up. She then looked around the room for items to dispose of but to her dismay, there wasn't much to begin with. She stood up and combed the perimeter of the room once again, refusing to meet his eyes until at last, she felt his touch on her skin. Both of his hands gently tightened around her shoulders, holding her in place. His touch burned into her memory, igniting the fire in her eyes all too quickly. If she turned to look him in the face right now, she was going to explode. Taking a deep breath, she felt the tears welling up in her eyes, compensating for the sensory overload that seemed to happen just a minute ago.

Without a word, he pulled her into his arms and secured her tightly so that she couldn't move. As they stood there in silence for what seemed like an eternity, she slowly wrapped her arms around his waist and pulled him in closer, burying her face into his chest. This was where she had finally broken apart, staining his undershirt with her endless flow of tears and sobbing like there was no tomorrow. How could she let go of him now? When they had known everything there was to know about each other? When she had realized that Snake would be one of the greatest people she would ever meet in her life? How could she live to never hear his voice or see his face again? All of these thoughts whirled through her head and threw her off balance. They were inconceivable. And yet, here in his arms, where the silence was peaceful and not deafening, he seemed to understand so much of what was going on. So much more than she had known.

As she gathered herself together, it took her an unsuspectingly painful amount of effort before she tore herself away from him, far enough to look him in the eyes. "I'm sorry," she coughed out, choking over the tears. "Shhh," he hushed, and then pulled her into his embrace once more. Washed over with weakness, she could do nothing else. The time left was so short. Actions would only complicate everything else and steal the seconds away from her.

But what about Snake? What could he do?

"_You'll have all the glory to call your own," Major Zero had said. Snake nodded in disagreement, blowing a puff of smoke out from his cigar. "What, you don't want to be a hero for your country?" His superior asked incredulously._

"_That's exactly it," Snake nodded. "This isn't a hero's mission, Major. Let's be honest."_

"_Your words," the Major said indifferently. "Just remember that we're counting on you, Snake. You're our only hope."_

"_You mean I'm your best weapon at this point," he said, laughing darkly at his words._

"_Something like that," the Major replied, his tone at ease._

The moment was as clear as a summer morning in Snake's mind. It was the only thing he could remember now that Para-Medic had clung onto him for dear life, and he to her. He smiled bitterly to himself, remembering her face the first time he saw it. Somehow, he knew she was going to be different from the rest, that she was going to leave a mark on him. Not an outside scar like everyone else, but an imprint deep within. It was hard to come to terms with a realization like this, and in so short a time. All the same, he still had a job to do and this fact cut him open like the bloody gash of a stinging war wound. She smelled too sweetly, like the hideously addicting scent of a field of Jasmine, and the sound of her heartbeat drumming against his rhythm was the only thing that kept him sane now. There were no thoughts left in him, just the soul of the person he had come to know too well within the last few days. _Too well_, he thought sourly.

And so words were left for those who could find a voice to speak them. As the chopper circled overhead, the power of reality overruled everything they had experienced within the past week. Para-Medic tore herself away from him as she headed out of the door, and he released her the moment he saw it coming. As she left, he stood in the doorway and watched her make a run for it before catching hold of the ladder that haphazardly swung from the chopper. She grabbed on and took one last look back at him. As she mouthed the words "I love you," their eyes locked onto each other a moment longer before Snake looked up and caught the gaze of Major Zero, his face as expressionless and unreadable as ever. Still, his eyes spoke all the words Snake had already known. He nodded curtly before turning around and walking into the shadow of the next mountain pass, leaving everything behind him as he went.

Much in the same ways that he had coped with the most difficult times in his life, Snake was running now, getting closer to his target and finishing what he set out to do. There was a mission to be completed and his country was counting on him. _"No heroics,"_ she had once said to him. There was no one around to see the legendary Snake smile at this thought as he continued forward.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

I couldn't think of any other way this might have ended. A happy ending wouldn't have been believable in this case (I chanted this phrase to myself over and over again). And maybe someday in the not-so-distant future, these two can meet up again. You never know.

Thanks for reading.


End file.
